Various types of microphones and receivers have been used through the years. In these devices, different electrical components are housed together within a housing or assembly. For example, a microphone typically includes micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device, a diaphragm, and integrated circuits, among other components and these components are housed within the housing. Other types of acoustic devices may include other types of components.
Microphones can be configured and assembled in a variety of different ways. For instance, the microphone can be configured so that sound energy enters through a “top” port in the microphone (i.e., a port located on a top surface of the microphone assembly). In another example, the microphone can be configured so that sound energy enters through a “bottom” port in the microphone (i.e., a port located on a bottom surface of the microphone assembly).
The choice of whether to use a microphone that is configured with a top port or a bottom port may be dictated by the geometry of space where the microphone is deployed (e.g., in a cell phone, personal computer, hearing aid, or some other electronic device to mention a few examples). For example, in some instances this geometry may dictate that a top port must be used while in other circumstances a bottom port may be required.
The bottom port configuration offer some advantages over top port configured devices. For example, the back volume of microphones with bottom ports is generally larger than the back volumes of devices that utilize top ports. Since, generally speaking, the larger the back volume, the better the performance of the microphone, it is often desired to use bottom port microphones. Unfortunately, top port devices are often required and, therefore, users cannot take advantage of the increased back volume typically found in bottom port devices.
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